Africa Today News

07/08/2023

ECOWAS calls for second emergency summit to discuss Niger coup

West African leaders will meet on Thursday to discuss Niger after coup leaders who seized power there on July 26 defied a deadline to reinstate the ousted president or face the threat of military intervention, a spokesman for the regional bloc says.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has previously sent military forces into troubled member states and imposed sanctions, had told the coup leaders to stand down by Sunday. But the coup leaders instead closed Niger’s airspace and pledged to defend the country.

“Niger’s armed forces and all our defence and security forces, backed by the unfailing support of our people, are ready to defend the integrity of our territory,” a spokesman for the coup leaders said in a statement on national television.

Landlocked Niger is more than twice the size of France, and many flight paths across Africa would normally pass through its airspace. Air France suspended flights to and from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso and Bamako in Mali, which both border Niger, until Friday and warned that some flight times would increase.

ECOWAS spokesperson Amos Lungu said on Monday that the bloc would hold the extraordinary summit on Niger in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, where its headquarters are located.

The 15-nation bloc has taken a harder stance on the Niger coup, the region’s seventh in three years, than it did on previous ones.

ECOWAS defence chiefs agreed on Friday on a possible military action plan if the detained president, Mohamed Bazoum, was not released and reinstated although they said operational decisions would be decided by their heads of state.

However, the bloc is not united. The military governments in Mali and Burkina Faso, both ECOWAS members, have promised to come to the defence of their counterparts in Niger if needed.

Both countries were sending delegations to Niamey to show their solidarity, the Malian army said on social media on Monday, and the flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 showed a Burkina Faso military plane arriving in Niger’s capital about 12:20 pm (11:20 GMT).

A fracture within ECOWAS and escalation of the standoff with Niger would further destabilise one of the world’s poorest regions, which is already facing a hunger crisis and armed groups that have killed thousands of people and displaced millions.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in an interview published on Monday that ECOWAS should extend its deadline for the reinstatement of Bazoum.

“The only way is the diplomatic one,” Tajani told La Stampa newspaper.

“It is right that he [Bazoum] should be freed, but we cannot do it. The United States are very cautious about this. It is unthinkable that they would start a military intervention in Niger,” Tajani added.

At pro-coup rallies in Niamey, some participants have cast the situation as a patriotic battle by the former French colony to retain its independence in the face of imperialist interference. Some have held up Russian flags and expressed anti-French sentiments.

“The aim of the demonstration is to show the whole world and the international community that we are 100% behind [the military],” demonstrator Amadou Hamadou Moumouni said during a rally at the national stadium on Sunday.

Bazoum said in an opinion piece published last week that he was a hostage and called on the US and the international community to restore constitutional order.

“There is a rather extraordinary alignment of the West and of Africa … to condemn what is happening,” French European Affairs Minister Laurence Boone said on Monday.

“I hope that we will be able to restore democracy and the constitution without blood and in peace,” she said on the French television channel LCI.

Niger’s uranium and oil reserves and its pivotal role in a war with armed groups in the Sahel region give it economic and strategic importance for the US, Europe, China and Russia.

07/08/2023

1,448 government paybills disconnected after president Ruto's directive

1,448 paybill numbers that were previously used for payment services in government offices have been disconnected since June 30, 2023, following President William Ruto's directive.

Ruto, while presiding over the official launch of the eCitizen platform, directed all ministries to use a single paybill number (222222) to pay for government services.

In turn, he said, existing paybills would be discontinued.

"Apart from making sure that there is no multiplicity of pay bills by government agencies. No citizen should be told to pay for the service using this pay bill. All Kenyans must know that if they have to pay for the government services it has to be 222222," said Ruto.

"The government expects that all services must go through the pay bill so that the treasury can have sight of every service that is paid for,” he added.
Immigration Principal Secretary Julius Bitok has called on government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) who are yet to comply to do so.

02/04/2023

Chelsea have sacked manager Graham Potter after less than seven months in charge following Saturday's 2-0 home defeat by Aston Villa.

It was the Englishman's 11th defeat in 31 games since replacing Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge on 8 September.

Chelsea, who have spent more than £550m on new players, are searching for their third manager of the season.

The Blues are in the bottom half of the Premier League after their latest loss - and 12 points off the top four.

Chelsea say Potter "has agreed to collaborate with the club to facilitate a smooth transition" and that Bruno Saltor will take charge of the team as interim head coach.

In a statement, co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: "We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person.

"He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity and we are all disappointed in this outcome."

Chelsea host Liverpool in the Premier League on Tuesday and face Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on 12 April.

02/04/2023

President William Ruto's State of the nation address

14/02/2023

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25/01/2023

Zambia: Hundreds attend funeral for student killed fighting in Ukraine

Hundreds of people attended a memorial service in Lusaka on Tuesday (Jan. 23) for a Zambian student who died fighting for Russia in Ukraine as Tanzania confirmed the death of another student who was also recruited in a Russian jail.

Family members broke down as they filed past the coffin of Lemekani Nyirenda at Lusaka's Baptist church, where the 23-year-old was a regular worshipper before moving to Russia to study nuclear engineering.

Nyirenda was recruited by Russia's Wagner mercenary group last year while serving a nine-and-a-half year jail term for a drug offence and sent to fight in Ukraine.

His death in September sparked a diplomatic spat, with Zambia demanding an urgent explanation from the Kremlin.

Tanzania on Tuesday meanwhile confirmed that Nemes Tarimo, another student, had been killed after also being recruited in jail by Wagner.

"When Tarimo was serving jail, he was given an opportunity to join the Russian army group called Wagner for payment and the promise that he would be freed after the war," Tanzanian Foreign Minister Stergomena Tax said.

"Tarimo agreed and he was taken to Ukraine where he was killed on October 24."

05/01/2023

Ivorian soldiers detained in Mali: ECOWAS will not sanction the junta

The current president of the West African states (ECOWAS) assured on Wednesday that there would be no sanctions against Mali in the immediate future despite their ultimatum, to let the Togolese mediation work for the release of the 46 Ivorian soldiers held in Mali since July.

The 46 Ivorian soldiers, suspected by Bamako of being "mercenaries", were sentenced on December 30 to 20 years in prison, before the expiration of the ultimatum set by the West African heads of state to the Malian junta to release them.

They were found guilty of "attack and conspiracy against the government," "undermining the external security of the state," and "possession, carrying and transporting weapons and munitions of war with the aim of disturbing public order through intimidation or terror," at the end of a two-day trial in Bamako.

Umaro Sissoco Embalo, current chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Guinea-Bissau head of state, said Wednesday that "there will be no sanctions against Mali in the immediate future", during a meeting with the press in Bissau.

"We have given time to (allow) the Togolese mediation to do its job, in order to solve the problem. It is just a matter of common sense," he added.

05/01/2023

Demonstrators return to the streets in Sudan

hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of the capital, Khartoum, on Thursday, to demand the country's military rulers leave power.

The demonstrators also rejected a deal struck weeks ago for the gradual transfer of power to civilian leaders.

A military coup in October 2021 abruptly ended a previous democratic transition agreement with protest leaders.

“This march is a real and honest expression that the power is the people’s power. Resources are the people’s resources. The military needs to return to the barracks, and Janjaweed (Rapid Support Forces, Ed.) are to be disbanded and there is no space for the military institution in power or economy and that all the state issues have to be solved according to a new constitution with a new ideology that assigns the tasks and power for the military to protecting borders and the democratic system”, said political activist, Khaled Soliman.

Thursday's protest was led by the Resistance Committees, a grassroots group that has steadfastly rejected any negotiations with Sudan’s military leaders, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.

“We are out today to reinstate the civilian country and we are calling very clearly for the military to return to the barracks and for Janjaweed (Rapid Support Forces, Ed.) to be disbanded”, pleaded protestor Othman al-Hady.

Last month, the two military leaders signed a ‘‘framework agreement" with Sudan's main pro-democracy group.

The agreement between military and civilian leaders also avoided sensitive political issues concerning transitional justice and reforming the military, a policy that promises to see various armed factions within Sudan integrate into one fighting force.

05/01/2023

Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for two deadly attacks near Bamako on Monday

Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for two attacks that killed at least two firefighters and three civilians Monday near Bamako, in a statement authenticated by the U.S. NGO SITE, which specializes in tracking radical groups, accessed Wednesday by AFP.

05/01/2023

Rwanda's support for M23 rebels must stop, warn US and EU officials

The United States and the European Union have again called on Rwanda to stop aiding M23 rebels after a report by the United Nations Group of Experts released last week showed "clear evidence of Rwandan support".

The M23 rebels, operating in North Kivu the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) bordering Rwanda, are accused of being responsible for the sharp increase in violence, and the deterioration in the humanitarian situation.

In a statement, spokesperson for the US Department of State Edward Price said there was overwhelming evidence of Rwanda's support for M23 rebels and that should come to an end.

"Noting the report’s clear evidence of Rwandan support to M23 and credible reports of grave human rights abuses by M23, we reiterate our call for Rwanda to cease all support to M23 and withdraw its troops from eastern DRC," he said.

Josep Borrell, the high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, urged Rwanda to "stop supporting the M23 and use all means to press the M23 to comply with the decisions taken by the EAC [East African Community.

The report details what it calls evidence of "direct intervention" of Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) in aiding the rebels in DRC.

The evidence is based on intelligence gathered between November 2021 and October last year.

The United Nations Group of Experts' report claims that Rwanda supplied arms and uniforms to the M23 rebels.

While Rwandan President Paul Kagame maintained that problems in the eastern DRC were not his making and he had no link to them, his DRC counterpart Felix Tshisekedi blamed him.

As such, the DRC said it welcomed the UN report's findings because it sought to "put an end to the lies and manipulations" by Rwanda.

The report also linked the DRC to working with rebel forces in their attempt to counter M23.

In the process, UN peacekeepers were also caught in the crossfire.

For that, Price said "likewise, we denounce the collaboration between elements of the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) and armed groups, including the FDLR [Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda], as outlined in the report. We strongly condemn attacks by multiple armed groups against UN peacekeepers".

The FDLR is an armed rebel group active in eastern DRC. It's one of the last groups of ethnic Hutu Rwandan rebels opposed to the ethnic Tutsi influence in Rwanda.

Kagame claimed the DRC was working with FDLR to destabilise Rwanda.

The conflict in North Kivu has seen the Rwandan-speaking community in the province come under attack and hate speech, which the UN report highlighted.

Conflict24, a security, and risk monitoring thinktank, said that despite M23 rebels vowing to de-escalate and withdraw from towns they took control of in November and early December last year, fighting was likely to occur in January.

31/12/2022

20/12/2022

Ruto seeks Kenya Airways sale to strategic investor in US trip

Kenya's President William Ruto will this week make a pitch to sell a controlling stake in the country's national carrier Kenya Airways to US investors as a path of returning the struggling airline to profitability.

On Wednesday, Kenya's Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the search for strategic partners for Kenya Airways tops the list of President Ruto’s mission to America.

US President Joe Biden is hosting the US-Africa summit this week and will discuss the 2023 elections and democracy in the continent with about 50 African heads of state.

Over 300 American and African companies will meet with heads of different delegations to talk about investments in critical sectors, the White House said on Tuesday.

20/12/2022

IMF agrees to lend Kenya $447 million for budgetary support

Kenyan President William Ruto (right) during a meeting with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in Sharma El-Sheikh, Egypt. The IMF has approved a $447.39 million loan to Kenya.

The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a Ksh55.1 billion ($447.39 million) loan to Kenya, paving way for the immediate release of the funds to the exchequer for budgetary support.

This follows the fourth review of the $2.34 billion (Ksh288 billion) 38-month Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangements with Kenya.

This brings Kenya’s cumulative disbursements under the EFF/ECF arrangements to about $1.655 billion (Ksh203.84 billion)

The loan, which was approved in April 2021, aims to support Kenya’s programme to address debt vulnerabilities, the response to the Covid-19 pandemic and global shocks, and to enhance governance and broader economic reforms.

20/12/2022

France openly accuses Rwanda of supporting DRC's M23 rebels

Military troops deployed in eastern DR Congo to prevent ongoing clashes between Congolese army and M23 rebels in Goma. France on Monday joined the US in accusing Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels

France on Monday joined the US in accusing Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels, laying the allegation for the first time in public on Kigali, in spite of recent support for the country’s military offensives in Mozambique.

The accusations by France on M23 came just two weeks after Paris rallied the European Union to disburse 20 million Euro (About $21.2 million) to support Kigali's military offensive against insurgents in Mozambique's northern province of Cabo Delgado.

Anne-Claire Legendre, the spokesperson of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Paris wants parties to respect peace processes from Luanda and Nairobi, the regional efforts to seek a harmonious existence between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and an end to supporting rebel groups as a first step for long-term peace in eastern DR Congo.

“We condemn Rwanda's support to the M23 group and we ask that the Luanda and Nairobi processes be fully implemented,” she said in a statement republished by the French embassy in Kinshasa.

This is the first time that France has openly condemned Rwanda over M23 rebels. It is also the first time France has laid a public finger of blame on Rwanda, since their ties thawed nearly five years ago, following years of tensions over France’s alleged refusal to help reign in perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

France, nonetheless, joined the US which has repeatedly denounced the same support from Kigali to the M23 rebels currently fighting with the Congolese army in North Kivu, eastern DRC.

20/12/2022

Burundi takes EALA Speaker seat as South Sudan bows out

Burundi's Joseph Ntakirutimana makes his speech after being elected the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly on December 20, 2022.

Mr Joseph Ntakirutimana, Burundi’s ruling party deputy secretary-general, has been elected the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).

He won after 54 members out of the 63 voted for him, while one voted against him. Eight votes were spoilt. For one to win the EALA speaker’s position, he or she must get at least 42 votes.

South Sudan had registered three candidates for the position but they withdrew on the eve of the election, leaving Ntakirutimana unopposed.

“We found that Burundi joined (EALA) before us and we decided, for the unity and working together, to let Burundi go through. This decision will bring harmony and come 2027, Burundi will support us,” said Dr Ann Itto, one of the South Sudanese candidates.

Mr Ntakirutimana joined the parliament of Burundi in 1993 and had served as a senator and a member of parliament for the last 30 years.

“This is the place (Arusha) where we signed my country’s agreement…got me from being a cleaner and refugee [to] be a member of the parliament,” said the new EALA Speaker.

He becomes the 6th speaker of the regional assembly since its establishment in 2001. He takes over from Rwanda’s Martin Ngoga whose tenure ended on December 17, 2022.

20/12/2022

What's next for Tunisia after huge election boycott?

Tunisia's massive election boycott has further challenged the legitimacy of President Kais Saied, but a divided and discredited opposition poses little threat to his grip on power, experts say.

Just 11 percent of voters showed up for the elections on Saturday for a parliament stripped of most powers under Saied, who last year launched what critics have labelled a bloodless coup.

On Monday, the electoral board revised the turnout slightly upwards from an earlier figure of nine percent.

Why was turnout so low?

The legislative vote came on the 12th anniversary of the event that sparked the country's pro-democracy uprising, the self-immolation of fruit seller Mohammed Bouazizi.

The election capped a year and a half of political turmoil since Saied sacked the government, surrounded parliament with tanks and seized full executive powers in July 2021.

Few Tunisians showed any interest in the election, with no serious public debate among the 1,055 candidates. Most were unknowns and fewer than 12 percent were women.

Under a constitution Saied rammed through in an also widely ignored referendum in July, political parties were sidelined and candidates ran as individuals.

Most of the North African country's parties, including the Islamist-leaning Ennahdha that has dominated post-revolt politics, had urged a boycott.

The new assembly, as well as having little popular backing, will be largely toothless under a constitution that makes it near-impossible for it to sack the government or hold the president to account.

13/12/2022

Dozens killed in floods in DR Congo's capital Kinshasa

At least 55 people died in DR Congo's capital Kinshasa on Tuesday in floods triggered by torrential rain, city police chief General Sylvano Kasongo said in a statement, giving a provisional toll.

Flooding also inflicted major property damage, submerging the main streets in the city centre for several hours.

13/12/2022

South Africa's Ramaphosa dodges impeachment vote in parliament

South Africa's scandal-engulfed President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday easily survived a vote in parliament on whether to initiate impeachment proceedings that could have forced him out of office.

After a heated debate, his ruling African National Congress (ANC) party defeated the motion by 214 votes to 148, with two abstentions through open voting.

The "inquiry will therefore not be proceeded with", declared National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, preventing an impeachment over allegations he concealed a huge cash theft at his farm.

The removal of Ramaphosa could have thrown the Africa's most industrialised country into political instability.

Ramaphosa – championed as a graft-busting saviour after corruption-stained predecessor Jacob Zuma – escaped thanks to the support of a majority of MPs from the ANC, which has been further divided by the scandal.

The extraordinary parliamentary session opened noisily in Cape Town to discuss the findings of an independent panel which said Ramaphosa may be guilty of serious violations and misconduct.

The 70-year-old president survived the day, thanks to his party's majority in parliament.

Last week, he secured the renewed backing of the ANC, which holds 230 of the National Assembly's 400 seats, after mounting a legal bid to have the damning report annulled. Some of his party MPs were absent during voting.

Justice Minister Ronald Lamola trashed the report saying "there is not sufficient evidence to impeach the president".

"The panel report has set the bar too low to impeach a sitting president," he said.

13/12/2022

UN children’s fund appeals $2.6 billion for Mideast and North Africa

UNICEF on Tuesday appealed for $2.6 billion to meet the growing needs of children in the Middle East and North Africa.

These funds are intended to provide lifesaving assistance to more than 52.7 million children in need in the Middle East and North Africa in 2023.

“With nearly half of the countries in the region in crisis or experiencing the ripple effects of conflict and war, children remain the most affected and in dire need of assistance,” said Adele Khodr, Regional Director of UNICEF for the Middle East and North Africa, quoted in the press release on Tuesday.

“Year by year, a dire situation is getting worse, with many families becoming poorer as they face the impacts of multiple crises,” she added.

13/12/2022

US hits Zimbabwe president's son with sanctions

The United States has added Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son to its sanctions list after identifying him as the one in charge of his father’s business interests related to a businessman accused of corruption.

President Joe Biden’s administration slapped the corruption sanctions on Emmerson Mnangagwa Jnr on Monday as the US leader prepared to host a major summit of African leaders in Washington this week.

The Treasury Department announced that it was adding four Zimbabwean people and two companies that are linked to prominent businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei and his Sakunda Holdings, both of which are already on the US sanctions list.

US sanctions on Zimbabwe freeze any assets of the targeted individuals and companies that may be in the US jurisdictions and bars Americans from doing business with them.

President Mnangagwa and scores of other ruling Zanu PF officials as well as security chiefs are targeted by the sanctions regime that was imposed on Zimbabwe over two decades ago over alleged human rights violations, corruption and electoral fraud.

Washington said the tightening of the sanctions regime was meant to “encourage” behaviour change on the part of the Zimbabwean government.

“We urge the Zimbabwean government to take meaningful steps towards creating a peaceful, prosperous, and politically vibrant Zimbabwe and to address the root causes of many of Zimbabwe’s ills: corrupt elites and their abuse of the country’s institutions for their personal benefit,” Treasury said in a statement.

“The goal of sanctions is behaviour change. Today’s actions demonstrate our support for a transparent and prosperous Zimbabwe.”

The US added Mr Tagwirei’s wife Sandra Mpunga and two business executives from companies linked to the wealthy businessman Nqobile Magwizi and Obey Chimuka.

11/12/2022

How Dubai is winning big at the 2022 Qatar World Cup

The glitz and glamour of Dubai is enticing fans to Qatar's erstwhile rival

World Cup host Qatar is not the only Gulf country benefitting from the influx of football fans to the region. Across the water,
neighbour and erstwhile rival the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been attracting tourism and business to its shores too, without having spent billions on hosting an international tournament.

The UAE's airports are teeming with fans either catching one of the 120 daily shuttle flights to Doha, or returning from the tournament.

Dubai, in particular, appears to be capitalising on the surge in tourists to the region.

Hotels and restaurants have erected giant screens for fans to watch the matches. Outside Dubai Mall, sportswear giant Adidas has setup an interactive World Cup fan experience in the shadows of the Burj Khalifa.

For those who prefer to enjoy the cool December evening air, eateries in downtown Dubai, the Palm and Festival City are reserving special tables near big-screen TVs.

11/12/2022

World Cup: Ecstasy across Africa, Arab world as Morocco makes historic semi final qualification

The history making Atlas lions of Morocco being cheered on by fans.They are celebrating the North African team's shock win over Portugal, as it becomes the first African side to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

"We can't believe it, even now we still can't believe it. We are still in a dream and we will wake up the day we win the Cup, when we are going to take it to Morocco with us'' Saad Benaija , Morocco fan said

''It is incredible'' another fan says. "Really, there are not even words to describe the event we are living," Hajji Abderrahmane, a Morocco fan from France. "See, Cristiano cried today, where is Ronaldo? In a plane. It is finished".

The scenes of joy and celebration have not stopped. In Doha, Qatar where the feat was recorded, and across Moroccan cities Rabat and Casablanca where many are cheering, crying, dancing and singing on the streets back home.

Morocco has defied expectations in this tournament, previously beating Belgium and Spain. a run that had brought delight across the country and widespread support across the African continent and Arab world.

"What to say - what a joy! I never imagined it. We are the first African country to reach the World Cup semi-finals. What can I say? Really, it’s beyond imagination, people could never have imagined it" Rachid, a Morocco fan in Casablanca sharing his joy.

But it's not all done just yet for the history makers. On Wednesday the Atlas lions will be hoping to go even a step further to the final when they face defending champions France.

11/12/2022

Biden tries to reboot US brand in Africa amid China, Russia inroads

The United States is inviting all African Union members in good standing -- meaning not Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali or Sudan -- and with which Washington has full relations, which excludes authoritarian Eritrea.

When Barack Obama welcomed African leaders to Washington in 2014, many viewed the summit as historic, not just due to the US president's background but for the pledges to make the partnership deeper and such events routine.

11/12/2022

World Cup 2022: Israeli forces crack down on Palestinians celebrating Morocco victory

Israeli police violently cracked down on Palestinians in Jerusalem celebrating Morocco's historic World Cup quarter-final victory against Portugal on Saturday evening.

Footage online showed Israeli forces armed with batons beating and dragging Palestinians celebrating the win outside the Old City's walls.

Officers on horseback could also be seen aggressively dispersing Palestinians, including children.

11/12/2022

Raila: I won't fall for President Ruto's new 'sweet deal'

Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga has threatened to oppose a proposed law seeking to establish the office of the leader of the official opposition if it is crafted to dictate terms on how to hold the government accountable.

07/12/2022

Pakistani Supreme Court to oversee probe into death of journalist Arshad Sharif

Pakistan's Supreme Court set up a panel of five judges on Tuesday, December 6 to supervise an investigation into the death of a prominent journalist, who was shot dead in Kenya.

Arshad Sharif was shot and killed on Kiserian-Magadi road in Kajiado County in October this year.

The Supreme Court said it had taken up the case voluntarily, and was seeking responses from Pakistan's foreign and interior ministries, the Federal Investigation Agency and the Intelligence Bureau.

"The journalist community and the public at large are deeply distressed and concerned about the death of the senior journalist, and are seeking the court's scrutiny of the matter," the court said in a statement.

According to a tweet by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Shariff, the Executive and the Judiciary of the Asian country had agreed to solve the murder.

“I welcome Supreme Court taking suo motu notice of the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif. I had already written a letter to Honorable Chief Justice of Pakistan for setting up a Judicial Commission to probe the murder. The government will extend full cooperation to the court,” Shehbaz tweeted at midday on Tuesday.

This tweet elicited a reaction from Sharif’s widow, Javeria Siddique, who accused the Pakistani government of frustrating her husband, forcing him to seek refuge in a foreign country.

“My late journalist husband was forced to leave Pak [sic] in Aug 2022 bcz [sic] of the scary intimidation tactics of ur gov [sic] and registration of fake FIRs against him under so-called treason and sedition charges in various part of the country. Ur talking abt press freedom. Really?” she tweeted.

Sharif, 50, was killed while travelling in a vehicle on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

Sharif had earlier fled from Pakistan, citing threats to his life after the government filed treason charges against him.

Kenyan police said Sharif was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity.

According to the authorities, Sharif was fatally shot when police were hunting car thieves.

The law enforcement officers opened fire on the vehicle Sharif was travelling in as it drove through their roadblock late at night.

Police had formed a roadblock using small stones, but the car in which Sharif was a passenger failed to stop, even after officers opened fire, police said in a report.

Nine bullets hit the car and one hit Sharif in the head.